Sketch Day: Sar’Teri Soldiers

Bonus Update Sketch Day hasn’t been done in awhile, but I thought everyone might like to see a sneak peek of some characters that are being developed for more Sarnoth-focused parts of the comic’s later stages.

Names and outfit designs are subject to change. In addition to Ban’Thie and Buun themselves, I’m also working on designs for Sarnoth military garb. Something that looks visibly different from the colored leather garb civilians have been seen wearing in stories and flashbacks thus far. In this current iteration, military wear is segmented, so it can be thicker and more protective than civilian leathers without hindering movement, and it is built-in with sarnothi “crazy-black-and-green stuff” in the form of accessories and arm-mounted weapons (on Ban’Thei’s right arm).

Most ranged weapons are useless underwater as well. The only ones that could work are harpoon guns, specially made crossbows, and nets. Everything else would receive too much drag, wouldn’t even work underwater, or would be too unwieldy. The Sarnothi don’t seem to show the same skills as the Pistol Shrimp wo even ranged combat wouldn’t be a wise skill to pick up. I imagine their tactics involve their bites, the poison inside them, and ambush tricks.

Don’t forget these people are hardly primitive. If anything they could be more advanced than humans. Remember back when we got a history lesson on the Sardoth civil war? That energy weapon that sheared a building in half? That didn’t seem to have any problems being fired underwater.

Just an FYI, numerous species of fish can be used for leather, and while eels are one of them, what’s commonly referred to as “eel leather” is actually hagfish, which makes me think that lampreys could be good for leather as well.

I play a lot of Monster Hunter and I feel like it might be worth looking into some of the armor sets to base your armor off of. Carapaceon and Piscine type monsters seem like they’d fit well. Since your race seems to draw Asian inspiration specifically the Shogun Ceanataur or Daimyo Hermitaur would be cool. The helmets specifically would be very cool. I feel like adorned helmets would be a neat way to display ranks.

Another neat thing I would think would be the fins/sickle/scythe type appendages the Zora from The Legend of Zelda have, but in the form of armor. Bladed armor for their arms and legs so to speak. For some reason I feel like they’d be into martial arts and that would be useful for close quarters combat.

I would also think they would be inclined to use spears or pole-arms, which again would be Asian inspired.

One last thing, I feel like skirts would be something they may do. Or perhaps a tunic akin to what Lucina from Fire Emblem uses. Skirt for movement and non-restricting purposes and then leg armor to well, cover up their legs. Armored long boots with the toes cut out perhaps? And maybe breast plates that literally only cover the upper chest area so that their gills have room to breath, coupled with shoulder armor. Then long armored gloves with blades attached.

I’m just spit-balling here. Seems like a really cool concept to be able to draw so much inspiration from different cultures and themes for an underwater military. Good luck either way.